Nixon: Schools deserve option to track students

Wednesday

Jul 9, 2014 at 6:22 PM

Gov. Jay Nixon has vetoed legislation that would have prohibited Missouri's public schools from tracking students electronically.

Associated Press

Gov. Jay Nixon has vetoed legislation that would have prohibited Missouri's public schools from tracking students electronically.The legislation, SB 523, rejected Wednesday sought to bar districts from using "radio frequency identification technology" to monitor or track the location of students.Nixon said it would have eroded the ability of local school officials to decide what's best for their students.Lawmakers who supported the measure said they weren't aware of any Missouri schools using the technology but that schools elsewhere already have done so.Nixon said he doesn't want to preclude that option in Missouri. He said the tracking devices could be a public safety tool to locate students during emergency situations or natural disasters.